Sheriff: Several people exposed to pepper spray in Sunday robbery

Mar. 12—Sheriff's deputies are investigating the robbery of a Frederick cosmetics store Sunday afternoon, in which several people were exposed to pepper spray.

Two women robbed the Ulta Beauty store in the Frederick Crossing shopping center on Guilford Drive on Sunday afternoon, Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins said.

There were about 30 customers and associates in the store at the time of the incident, and several people were sprayed with a pepper spray-type substance, Jenkins said.

One person was treated at the scene for exposure to the chemical, while several others were slightly affected, sheriff's office spokesman Todd Wivell said Sunday.

Deputies were dispatched to the call around 2:35 p.m., Wivell said.

Jenkins said the women left the shopping center in a gold minivan with Virginia tags.

A sign on the store's door Sunday afternoon said it was closed Sunday, but was expected to reopen Monday.

Pepper spray is an inflammatory agent that inflames the membranes of the eyes, nose, and throat and causes them to swell, according to the International Association of Chiefs of Police. It can cause symptoms including involuntary closing of the eyes, gagging, coughing and shortness of breath.

Ulta stores have been the target of several robberies that police believe were part of strings of incidents.

A Martinsburg store was robbed in February 2021 by two women police believe were involved in robbing other stores, according to the Martinsburg Journal.

A store in Exton, Pennsylvania, was robbed in January by three women police believe also robbed two other stores in eastern Pennsylvania, while a couple was arrested in February as suspects in thefts from 10 Ulta stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, according to reports from 6 ABC in Philadelphia.

Follow Ryan Marshall on Twitter: @RMarshallFNP